Training pigeons to home............

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Nebraska
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Training pigeons to home............

Post by Nebraska » Sun May 03, 2009 10:31 pm

I have pigeons breeding in my coop now (two currently sitting on eggs) along with 2 babies and 4 young birds raised in my coop. I have 6 adult birds (including the two that are currently sitting on eggs) and haven't let any of these birds fly since I got my coop up and running in August of last year.

I'm going to follow most of OhioGSP's recommendations from his thread "Starting with Pigeons" such as: feeding once a day, whistling when I feed, using a "settling cage" to familiarize them with the trap door, etc. (thanks BTW) but with my schedule, I won't be able to let them out an hour before dark and don't want to loose any of my birds when I start leaving the trap open. So, if you have any more tips to help with getting birds to home, especially when opening the trap for an hour and lowering the bobs in the morning, let me know.

They've been in my coop so long, I'd be surprised if most/all didn't come back but I just can't be sure until I let 'em fly. Hopefully feeding after I lower the bobs will be enough incentive for them to come back even though it's still light out. Guess I'll know for sure once I get home that day........ :roll:

Thanks for your help.... :)

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cntryboy
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Re: Training pigeons to home............

Post by cntryboy » Mon May 04, 2009 7:46 am

I have some pigeons that will stay out overnight roosted on my kid's swingset or on the roof of my house and others that will home right back when flown. They are usually always on the coop in the morning and back inside it by the time I get home from work. As long as you don't have many hawks or predators in the area I think you should be alright. I haven't lost one yet (knock on wood) I would make sure you have a good landing spot on the coop, after not flying for that long they will probably have a hard time landing. It's always shakey letting them out for the first time. Good luck !

newridersdad
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Re: Training pigeons to home............

Post by newridersdad » Wed May 06, 2009 12:04 am

The thread you refered to is very helpful. I think I must be about 50-60 days ahead of you. I have 8 young birds and 5 pair sitting on eggs. This has really been a pretty cool experience. At around 40 days I began to collect my young birds and 2 of my older birds that know how to trap and put them in a small cage attached to my coop on the landing board. I try to do this just before feeding time. I go through my regular feeding routine and open up the cage door next to my bobs. The older birds will go through the bobs pretty quick with a couple of the bolder young birds following. I leave the rest of the young ones to finally figure it out. The first couple of times I open up and side door on my cage and help each one push through the bobs. After a week they will have figured it out. Now comes the scary part, letting them fly on their own. I will put them in the same cage about 5 feet from the coop open up the cage door and hope for the best. The next couple of weeks I will move the cage back 20 to 25 feet. After a month from the time they first started trapping from the cage mine will fly around my house a little and then begin to trap before it gets dark. I have had a couple that didn't get back before I shut the trap and they spent the night on my aviary and trapped the following day. They have returned on time since. They learn pretty quick where the shelter, food and water are. I put bands on my original breeding pairs and never let them out of the coop. I was told by a man that races homers the key is to let birds fly at 45 to 50 days when they are young and not so strong because they won't get to far from the coop. Older, stronger birds that have never been out of the coop have a tenancy to be strong on the wing and will fly far enough to get lost. I have learned a lot from this website, Sandy Meador who post on this site regularly and a couple of homer racers. I hope I didn't ramble but I thought I might be able to help since I have just been were you are headed. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to contact me at sclemens1@suddenlink.net . I would be glad to share some pics of my set up. It's really cool when you launch birds for your dog and they are home waiting to be fed when you return from the training field. Don't tell anyone, but I live in a neighborhood within the city limits and my wife absolutely hates this.
Good Luck,
newridersdad
Scott

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Kiki's Mom
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Re: Training pigeons to home............

Post by Kiki's Mom » Wed May 06, 2009 6:42 am

Actually, the optimum age to start bob training is 28- 30 day old. Loft flying commences once everyone gets right back into the loft from the landing board within 5 minutes of being put there. Loft fly for a week( this gives the birds time to familiarize themselves with their home territory) then move the basket a little at time for distance. Starting with the end of the driveway to 1/4 mile and jump them as many times as it takes to get everyone home and in the loft all at once, then 1/2 mile, to one mile to 3 miles to 5 miles to 7 miles to 10 miles in all four directions (N,E S, W) then you can jump them in increments of 10 miles.....usually three jumps per distance and direction.

You will lose some, some will goof off and not trap as fast as others and eventually you will get a team of reliable flyers :wink:

I used to fly white doves for weddings/funerals. My team would beat me home from a 35 mile release routinely. It took them exactly 22 minutes to get home, where as it would take me 35-40 minutes of driving. :wink:

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bmacinok
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Re: Training pigeons to home............

Post by bmacinok » Wed May 06, 2009 6:45 am

Nebraska,

I started a coop last fall, built it and populated it with homers from a friend a couple of hours away. I have one side of it with some breeding pairs and the other side with the homers and a few ferals. I kept the homers in for several weeks, then trained them with a temporary aviary (with them using the bobs). I would feed them in the aviary, with the bobs up (see pic below), and just lower a bob each day over the period of a week. They got real familiar with that real quick. I also followed OhioGSP's information as well as some in our local NAVHDA chapter...very good help and information. I was pretty unsure when I released them but they all came back. When I started flying them from farther away I lost several of my ferals, but I kind of expected that. I am now flying them about a mile away (where my training field is) and have lost only about 5 birds (we have a lot of hawks). My breeders are starting to produce so I am hoping production can keep up with the hawks. Here is a pic of the aviary extension I built to allow them to come and go through the bobs:

Front view with temporary aviary to help learn the bobs:
Image

Side view of temporary aviary:
Image

My automatic waterers:
Image

Also, if you are interested, the full thread of my building and flying is on the Small Munsterlander's forum at:

http://forum.smallmunsterlander.info/vi ... =12&t=1217

Bruce
Last edited by bmacinok on Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:03 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Nebraska
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Re: Training pigeons to home............

Post by Nebraska » Sun May 10, 2009 10:41 pm

Thanks for the great posts!

I added a "Settling Cage" to the top of the aviary and I'm planning on bob training this week. When I do that, should I net my birds and set them in the cage on top of the aviary and feed them each time (will start feeding 1x per day in the coop) or just close the bobs when there are some birds out in the Settling Cage so the ones outside have to use the bobs to get back in?

Here's a pic of my make-shift settling cage.....
Image
Last edited by Nebraska on Mon May 11, 2009 7:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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MTO4Life
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Re: Training pigeons to home............

Post by MTO4Life » Mon May 11, 2009 7:46 am

Kiki's Mom wrote: I used to fly white doves for weddings/funerals. My team would beat me home from a 35 mile release routinely. It took them exactly 22 minutes to get home, where as it would take me 35-40 minutes of driving. :wink:
You just needed to drive faster!!! :twisted: :twisted:

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Nebraska
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Re: Training pigeons to home............

Post by Nebraska » Mon May 11, 2009 7:34 pm

Bruce - I just checked out that site and that's a really nice set-up! I'm pretty sure that watering system would freeze here but that would sure be slick! I have to fill mine ~ 1x per week which isn't bad but a 55gal would sure be nice.

If you have time, you should add some pics to my thread Building your first pigeon coop..... so there are more options available for anyone who's interested.....thanks and take care.

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bmacinok
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Re: Training pigeons to home............

Post by bmacinok » Wed May 13, 2009 8:42 am

I assume the bobs are at the back of the settling cage..??? If so then I would just start feeding them in the cage, put down every other bob, and make sure the bobs can swing both ways (in and out). They will start going to the feed through the bobs since there is room and get used to them. Then just lower another one every day or so still allowing them to swing both ways, and then they will be used to them when they are all down. Then at some point just set it so the bobs will only allow them to go in, don't feed them for a day or so, and then shoo them out the door at an hour or so before dark. Go back in and feed them inside the coop, then they will fly around some and come back to roost and feed. Do this several days and then start taking them out further away at the same time before dark. Just make sure that at night you lock up the entrance if you have critters around. You might leave some feed outside also in case a bird doesn't return, then they can feed there and stay close by. Sometimes I leave my lock-up door open at night, but any time you do that you are taking a chance that a critter might get in.

Bruce

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bmacinok
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Re: Training pigeons to home............

Post by bmacinok » Wed May 13, 2009 8:44 am

Also, the watering system will freeze in the winter, but when it is not that cold it is very nice to not have to fill every so often, and it also allows for easy dumping of the water if there is feed in it. For light freezes I don't worry about it as I have garden hose as the supply line, the waterers are plastic bowls, and the controls are brass, so I am hoping that it won't cause any damage for a light freeze. When it gets really cold then I will revert back to standard manual waterers.

bm

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Re: Training pigeons to home............

Post by ezzy333 » Wed May 13, 2009 8:49 am

bmacinok wrote:I assume the bobs are at the back of the settling cage..??? If so then I would just start feeding them in the cage, put down every other bob, and make sure the bobs can swing both ways (in and out). They will start going to the feed through the bobs since there is room and get used to them. Then just lower another one every day or so still allowing them to swing both ways, and then they will be used to them when they are all down. Then at some point just set it so the bobs will only allow them to go in, don't feed them for a day or so, and then shoo them out the door at an hour or so before dark. Go back in and feed them inside the coop, then they will fly around some and come back to roost and feed. Do this several days and then start taking them out further away at the same time before dark. Just make sure that at night you lock up the entrance if you have critters around. You might leave some feed outside also in case a bird doesn't return, then they can feed there and stay close by. Sometimes I leave my lock-up door open at night, but any time you do that you are taking a chance that a critter might get in.

Bruce
I always drive the birds into the cage and then feed inside with one bob up the first time but then put them all down. That is what you are trying to teach. One thing you can do but not necessary is put an older bird or two with them that will show them the way. I have let young birds fly with the older bird many times and not even used a cage but I do think it is a good idea. But the birds will figure the bobs out quickly if they are hungry.

Ezzy
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